lynx-dev Re: Another TagSoup problem

[Ilya Zakharevich]

Henri wrote:

  On Tue, Feb 03, 2004 at 03:55:49AM -0800, Ilya Zakharevich wrote:
  > Quite the contrary.  So called "strict" (actually "make a mess without
  > any feedback to the user about the reason") parsing is the default.

  Only because you have not edited lynx.cfg to get the style of parsing
  you want.  If you read the distribution lynx.cfg, you will find the
  reasons why the parsing choices were made.  However, if you really want
  to know the reason why a page shows up as a "mess", I recommend that you
  use "\" to review the source.  I might add that it is not Lynx that is
  "mak[ing] a mess" in the samples of html you have presented.

Do not be ridiculous.  In your opinion, how many %s of lynx users read
lynx.cfg back-to-back?  In your opinion, how many %s of lynx users can
understand what lynx.cfg talks about?  In your opinion, how many %s of
lynx users can read HTML?

Having lynx.cfg readable, having '\' available, having 'h' working are
all great stuff.  But it is "great stuff" for an absolutely negligible
minority of lynx users; (of course, only this negligible minority is
represented on this mailing list).

We should not forget about 95% of users which will be forever confined
to the default settings (or at lest for the default settings with
exception of several "easy" issues).  In addition, I myself would also
prefer to operate as much of the time as possible in the "naive user"
mode...

  If '\' is too much trouble for you, then run the page in question through
  a validator.

  If you don't care about either the html of the page or about the ability
  of Lynx to give you a choice of parsing styles, then I think you need to
  change your browser of choice.

In your opinion, how many %s of lynx users know what a "validator" is?
In your opinion, how many %s of lynx users *care* what a validator
says about a particular document they want to read?

IMO, if you do not care about usability of lynx as "web browser" (as
opposed to "browsing documents strictly confined to a certain number
of guidelines"), then I prefer that you change your browser of choice.
;-)

Hope this helps,
Ilya

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